Former GSU star Peterson to sign copies of his book

The autobiography of Georgia Southern alum Adrian Peterson, the NCAA Division I career leading rusher, is set for a late September release through Imprint Publishing. Through stories of victories and times of struggle, Peterson brings attention to his ongoing challenges with stuttering, the embrace of a campus community, and standing in faith through his infant daughter’s medical crisis.

The hardcover edition of “Don’t Dis My Abilities” retails for $23.95 and will be available exclusively through Georgia Southern’s University Store and its online storefront for the first month of its release. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will fund a scholarship at Georgia Southern.

Pre-release orders are being taken at the University Store at (912) 478-5151 and online at GSUStore.com (http://tinyurl.com/AdrianPetersonBook).

Three locations in Statesboro have been selected for book signings as former Eagle quarterbacks Tracy Ham and Greg Hill and several members of Georgia Southern’s 1999 national championship team will accompany Peterson. On Sept. 28, Peterson will be at the Holiday Inn from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and then at the University Store near the corner of Chandler and Georgia Avenue from 3-5 p.m.

The following day, Peterson will sign copies of “Don’t Dis My Abilities” on campus, at the Center for Art and Theatre Georgia Artists Collection gallery from 10 a.m.-noon and the University Store from 1-3 p.m. The University Store will sell copies of the books at all signing locations.

The foreword was written by Ham, a 2007 College Hall of Fame inductee, whose No. 8 jersey is one of only two ever retired by Georgia Southern. Peterson’s No. 3 was retired before his final regular-season game in 2001 as the crowd at Paulson Stadium gave him a standing ovation.

Known as “AP” to fans, Peterson returns to Statesboro on Wednesday for his Coca-Cola Leadership Summit at 5 p.m. at the Bulloch County Boys and Girls Club. The following weekend, Peterson will be inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame and recognized with the other six honorees at halftime of the Sept. 29 game vs. Samford.

Peterson graduated from Georgia Southern in 2001, capping an extraordinary collegiate career that witnessed his winning the 1999 Walter Payton Award, the first sophomore to achieve the honor. The four-time consensus All-American helped lead the Eagles to two national championships in 1999 and 2000 and a third title game appearance.

Peterson was named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 1998 and 2001 and also garnered the SoCon Freshman of the Year award in 1998. Honored as the College of Health and Human Sciences Alum of the Year in 2008 and an inaugural inductee into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame in 2009, he continues to donate time, effort and funding to charities in Chicago, Statesboro and Florida.

Drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2002, Peterson spent eight seasons with the NFL team, including the 2006 NFC championship season and Super Bowl XLI.

He played one season with the Virginia Destroyers in 2011 and re-joined the Bears through a coaching internship program this past summer.

Married to his best friend Angela, also a Georgia Southern graduate, they have three children, AJ, Aaden and Amelia. They currently reside in the suburbs of Chicago.